XPS M1730 AC POWER ISSUE

After having some serious CPU and thus GPU issues (got terrible results in 3dmark06), I finally found the issue:

After wiping out XP Professional numerous times, with still terrible results - I thought it had to be a power issue. I went into BIOS and look at battery and it was showing the battery at 100% but for AC Adapter is showed:

AC Adaptor = Unknown Device Installed

There in lies the problem. So still in the BIOS, I unplugged the AC (which then showed NONE) then plugged back in which took it back to the AC Adapter = Unknown Device Installed. Then I restarted and immediately went back into the BIOS. Now it showed:

AC Adaptor = 230W

Booted up and ran 3dmark test and everything normal back at 8800+. Went back into BIOS and it was the same thing everytime - if I unplug, unknown device. If I reboot and touch nothing and go back into BIOS, shows 230w.

Which leaves a couple possibles.

-AC adpater is bad (which if anyone has seen the M1730 is a big AC adapter but the light is always on and never shows if in or out)
-The port is bad
-The motherboard is bad

I have seen similar issues with the M1730. Problem is I got this CPU March 18, 2008, thus making it 13 months and the 1-year warrenty is over. Now if you spend over 3k on a laptop and there have been numerous issues with this (as seen across these boards), Dell should do something about it. I don't know if I feel up to spending 45 minutes on a call to India but may have to.

Hard to pinpoint exactly what it is?? Anyone every heard of anything like this?